Consumer Medicine Information
ATACAND®
Candesartan cilexetil, 4 mg, 8 mg, and 16 mg tablets
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some of the common questions people ask about Atacand. It does not contain all the information that is known about Atacand.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor will have weighed the risks of you taking Atacand against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.
What Atacand is used for
Atacand is used for treating high blood pressure.
How Atacand works
Atacand contains candesartan cilexetil which is a type of medicine called an angiotensin II receptor antagonist. It blocks the effects of the hormone angiotensin II and causes relaxation of the blood vessels which results in a lowering of the blood pressure.
Before you use Atacand
When you must not use it.
Do not use Atacand if:
- You are pregnant, think you might be pregnant or considering becoming pregnant.
- You are breast feeding.
- You are allergic to any of the ingredients in Atacand listed at the end of this leaflet.
Important: You should not take Atacand if you have had problems in the past when taking medicines containing candesartan cilexetil.
Do not give Atacand to children. There is no information on its use in children.
Do not take after the use by (expiry) date printed on the pack. It may have no effect at all, or worse, an entirely unexpected effect if you take it after the expiry date.
Do not take Atacand if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
Do not use it to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.
Do not give this medicine to anyone else even if their symptoms seem similar to yours.
Before you start to use it
You must tell your Doctor if:
- you have any heart, liver or kidney problems.
- you suffer from lactose intolerance
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including:
- lithium
- potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements or salt substitutes
- those which help lower your blood pressure, particularly diuretics
Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Using Atacand
Taking your medicine.
It is important to keep taking Atacand every day and as your doctor has told you to. The instructions on the label should remind you of what the doctor has said.
The usual adult dose is either one 8 mg tablet or one 16 mg tablet each day.
It is best to take your tablet at the same time each day, e.g. in the morning, but it does not matter whether you take it with or without food. If you have severe kidney or severe liver problems, your doctor may prescribe a smaller dose. Atacand is not normally recommended for children.
Things to be careful of:
The treatment of high blood pressure may lead to dizziness or weariness in some patients. Make sure you are not affected in this way before driving or operating machines.
Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while you are taking Atacand.
Overdose
If you take more than the recommended number of tablets, contact a doctor or pharmacist (chemist) as soon as possible.
Telephone your doctor or the National Poisons and Hazardous Chemicals Information Centre Ph 0800 POISON (0800 764 766) or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital immediately if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Atacand, even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
While you are using Atacand
If you forget to take it:
If you forget to take a dose, just carry on with the next dose as normal. Do not take an extra tablet to make up.
How long to take it:
Treatment of high blood pressure is necessary in most people for the rest of their lives. Ask your doctor to explain the reasons for this.
Things you must not do:
Do not stop taking Atacand unless you have discussed it with your doctor.
Side effects
Most people taking Atacand do not suffer any unwanted effects. Like all medicines, some people taking Atacand may occasionally experience unwanted effects which are usually mild and do not last for long. Effects that have been experienced include:
- headache
- cold or flu-like symptoms
- back pain
- dizziness
- feeling or being sick
- coughing
- feeling tired
- stomach ache
- diarrhoea
- sore throat
- swelling of the feet
- bronchitis
- runny or blocked nose.
These are not necessarily due to the medicine, as they have also been experienced in people not taking the medicine.
Unwanted effects reported very rarely are:
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue and/or throat,
- rash,
- hives,
- itching,
- jaundice (yellow skin and/or eyes)
- increased liver tests.
If you suffer from any of these effects, or if you get any other unusual or unexpected symptoms, talk to your doctor or pharmacist (chemist). If you develop swelling of the face, lips, tongue and/or throat, contact your doctor immediately. You may have had a serious (allergic) reaction to Atacand.
Important: This leaflet alerts you to some of the situations when you should call your doctor. Other situations, which cannot be predicted, may arise.
Nothing in this leaflet should stop you from calling your doctor or pharmacist with any questions or concerns you have about using Atacand.
Tell your doctor if you notice anything else is making you feel unwell or bothering you.
After using it
Storage
Keep your tablets in the blister pack until it is time to take them. If you take Atacand out of the blister pack it will not keep well.
Keep the tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C.
Do not store it or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep it where young children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Do not leave it in the car on hot days.
Disposal
Return any unused medicine to your pharmacist(chemist).
Product description
Atacand tablets come in three strengths, containing either 4 mg, 8 mg or 16 mg of candesartan cilexetil. Each tablet strength is a different colour:
- 4 mg tablets are white, round tablets with a score and marked A/CF on one side and 004 on the other.
- 8 mg tablets are light pink, round tablets with a score and marked A/CG on one side and 008 on the other.
- 16 mg tablets are pink, round tablets with a score and marked A/CH on one side and 016 on the other.
Each tablet contains the active ingredient candesartan cilexetil.
Each tablet also contains
- calcium carboxymethyl-cellulose
- hydroxypropyl cellulose
- lactose
- magnesium stearate
- maize starch
- polyethylene glycol
- iron oxide E 172 (only in the 8 mg and 16 mg tablets).
Atacand 4 mg, Atacand 8 mg and Atacand 16 mg comes in a blister pack containing 28 or 30 tablets.
Marketed by:
AstraZeneca Limited
PO Box 1301, Auckland.
Ph: (09) 623 6300 or
0800 363 200.
Trademarks herein are the property of the AstraZeneca Group.
Manufactured under the licence from Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd
15 April 2008
Copyright- No part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission of AstraZeneca Limited